Just wondering how many of you use drinks with protein (accelerade,inifinit custom blend etc.) in them on your long runs. I find that when running with a fuel belt the constant up and down shakes up the drinks and those with protein tend to start getting fizzy and creating bloating and gas when I drink from them. It’s not completely unbearable for half marathon distances but I could see it getting quite bad on distances up to full marathon. Also after exercising with accelerade or any other drinks with protein in them I get a slightly bloated feeling afterwards.
So how many of you have protein in your run hydration and what kind of effect does it have (positive or negative) on your run performance?
You don’t need anything special until you’re longer than a half marathon. I’ve done a few half marathons in the mountains in Costa Rica these past couple weeks with no water or food— I just fully hydrate in the morning before the run, drink a couple glasses of Gatorade or water right before I start, then have at it. These have been relatively extreme conditions for running as well— Temps in the mid-80s and small mountains with grades up to 30%. I definitely come back thirsty and hungry but haven’t been slowing down. You can absolutely do fine in a half IM or a Marathon on just the Gatorade they give you. In fact, Gatorade Endurance works better for me than fancy concoctions I’ve tried to make myself.
For longer runs I like a little protein. I like to carry a powerbar in the pocket in my shorts and eat it in the middle. I’ll drink at water fountains along the way.
I generally don’t think you need to get too fancy with your run nutrition.
I use Infinit. I got one batch with a small amount of protein, but didn’t like it. It fizzed up on me and I didn’t feel like it added anything that I really needed. Now I have no protein at all and that’s what I used for IMLP last year.